Evenes Air Station is a

military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

of the

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

(RNoAF) located in the town of Evenes in

Evenes Municipality Evenes ( sme, Evenášši) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen. Other villages in Evenes include Liland, Tå ...

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

History

The air station was initially opened in 1979 as a hub for

Bodø Main Air Station Bodø Air Station (; no, Bodø hovedflystasjon) is a military air base of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) located in the town of Bodø in Bodø Municipality, Nordland county, Norway. It is home to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon ...

, but became an independent entity in 1988. Operations at Evenes were reduced in 1993 and the station was taken out of full operational use. In 2012, the parliament decided to turn Evenes into a forward air base for

Quick Reaction Alert Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is state of readiness and '' modus operandi'' of air defence maintained at all hours of the day by NATO air forces. The United States usually refers to Quick Reaction Alert as 'Airspace Control Alert'. Some non-NATO c ...

. The air station will have a capacity for stationing a QRA of 15 fighter aircraft, as well as handling exercises with allied aircraft. The air station is estimated to produce 1,600 aircraft movements per year once operative. From 1 January 2020, the new 133 Luftving was reestablished at Evenes. The first F-35 squadron started operations from Evenes in September 2021.

Operations

The

Norwegian Defence Estates Agency The Norwegian Defence Estates Agency ( no, Forsvarsbygg) is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the real estate belonging to the Military of Norway. It is not part of the military operations, but is instead directly subordinate to the N ...

was commissioned to ensure that sufficient construction (EBA) and infrastructure are in place by August 2022. Test operations together with the Armed Forces and the Air Force are expected to start at the same time. By the end of the first quarter of 2023, all EBA should be ready for the Armed Forces for full operation. What will be built on Evenes will cover the national needs of maritime patrol aircraft, as well as consist of offices and administrative facilities for the 333 Squadron. Additionally, adaptation of hangars and the construction of facilities for the F-35, new construction of office buildings, officers' quarters, crew quarters and a hospital, as well as security measures will be constructed. The largest construction assignment is the P-8 hangar with associated operational surfaces, which will be ready in 2021/22. Runway

arresting gear An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBA ...

will be installed for the new fighter jets. By 2025, it is planned that there will be up to 500 employees and 300 conscripts at Evenes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Evenes Air Station Airports in Nordland Royal Norwegian Air Force stations 1979 establishments in Norway Military installations in Nordland